Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relates to an aerial cable
transport installation, in particular a gondola-lift or a
cable-car, having a large span between two towers located
far apart, the base of each tower being anchored to the
ground and the head constituting a support point for the
taut cable, following a predetermined catenary trajectory
under the action of a tension device, between the two
towers.
The towers of known installations of the kind
mentioned are vertical or even, in the case of sloping
ground, perpendicular to the ground, their height being of
course sufficient to clear obstacles along the line. The
present invention results from the ascertainment that when
large spans, and therefore large cable sag, are involved,
the height of the towers increases very quickly with the
increase in the distance the towers are apart and becomes
excessive. The location of the towers is frequently imposed
by the site and in particular to cross a river the towers
anchored on the banks are of a considerable height.
According to the present invention, there is
provided an aerial cable transport installation for a
gondola lift or a cable car having a large span, the
installation comprising:
- two towers located apart by a large spaced
distance, each tower having a base anchored to the ground
and a head forming a support point,
- a cable stretched between the two towers, the
cable being slid ably supported on the tower heads and
following a predetermined catenary trajectory,
- at least one car carried by the cable to travel
on the trajectory,
- a tower guying cable for each tower, each tower
guying cable extending from an anchoring point adjacent the
tower base to the tower head, and
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- the towers leaning towards one another to reduce
the cable span and the tower height, the distance between
the cable support points on the towers being smaller than
the distance between the bases anchored to the ground, the
tower gradient being substantially perpendicular to the
catenary trajectory at the cable support point on the tower,
each tower guying cable extending in a direction opposite a
leaning direction of the corresponding tower.
One-aim of the present invention is therefore to
enable the height of the towers to be reduced and this
objective is achieved, according to the present invention,
by having the towers lean towards one another to reduce the
cable span, the distance between the cable support points on
the towers being smaller than the distance between the tower
anchoring points on the ground.
As above indicated the towers are set perpendi-
cuter to the cable trajectory at the support point, this
lay-out corresponding to a maximum reduction in their
height. The tower anchoring point and the catenary
trajectory of the cable being fixed by the characteristics
of the installation, all that has to be done is to draw the
perpendicular to this trajectory passing through the
anchoring point to fix the optimal
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gradient of the tower. The foot of the tower is advantageously articu-
fated and guys, in particular cables stretched to the rear, hold the
tower in the inclined position. The weight of the tower can be surf-
fishnet to keep the guy(s) taut, but according to a perfection of the
invention, the heads of the two towers are connected by a pretaut
cable, which simultaneously carries out other functions, in particular
data transfer or even electric power link.
Another aim of the invention is to orientate obliquely the thrust the
tower exerts on the ground, thus enabling, when crossing a river, a
pressure towards the inside to be maintained on the banks.
According to a development of the invention, the guying cable keenest-
lutes the carrier cable for an auxiliary cable-car giving access to
the tower head, where a panoramic or maintenance platform is install
led.
The installation can be a single or double-track cable-car or a moo-
cable or bi-cable gondola-lift with cars spaced along the cable or
grouped together in a train and the line can be limited to the section
between the two inclined towers or be joined to other conventional sea-
lions.
Brief description of the drawings
Other advantages and characteristics will become more clearly apparent
from the description which follows of a mode of implementation of the
invention, given as a non-limiting example and represented in the at-
lacked drawings, in which :
figure 1 is a schematic side elevation of an installation according to
the invention ;
figure 2 is a partial view on an enlarged scale of the head of the
tower according to figure 1 ;
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figure 3 is a side view of a tower ;
figures 4 to 6 are detailed views of the tower according to figure 3 ;
figure 7 is a cross-section of a coupling grip.
Description of the preferred embodiment.
In the figures, a mono-cable gondola-lift presents a large-span sea-
lion 10, delimited by two support towers 12, 14. A carrier-hauling
cable 16 is stretched between the two towers 12, 14 and is extended on
both sides by access sections 18, 20, which end in terminals 22, 24,
each one equipped with a cable return wheel 26, 28, said cable forming
a closed car circulation loop. Cable 16 is maintained under tension by
a jack 32 which thrusts against wheel 28, and the cable is driven by a
motor 34 coupled to wheel 26.
Gondola-lifts of this kind are well-known and can be of the pulsed
type wherein the cable is stopped or slowed down for loading and
unloading of passengers, or of the continuous type wherein the cars
are detached from the cable in continuous travel through the terminals
22, 24. It is clear that the invention can be applied to a bi-cable
gondola-lift comprising a separate carrier cable and hauling cradle,
the carrier cable being anchored in the terminals, as well as to a
shuttle or two-way cable-car. It is pointless describing such install
lotions.
The gondola-lift, shown in the figures, crosses for instance a river
36, the feet 42, 44 of towers 12, 14 being anchored on the two banks.
Towers 12, 14 lean towards each other, the distance between their
heads 38, 40 being smaller than that between their feet 42, 44. The
heads 38, 40 support the sheave batteries 46 supporting cable 16,
which follows a catenary trajectory determined by the load. Tower 12,
14 foot 42, 44 is articulated on an axis 47 perpendicular to the Yen-
tidal plane containing cable 16, and one or more guys 48, in portico-
far guying cables, are fixed at one end to tower 12, 14 head and at
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the other end to an anchoring point So away from the bank. Guys 48
keep tower 12, 14 in the inclined position in opposition to the weight
and the bearing force of cable 52, which ensures pretension and, if
required, an electric power or safety link between the two towers 12,
5 14.
Referring to figure 1, it can be seen that for a given catenary tragic-
tory of cable 16, the height ho of towers 12, 14, inclined according
to the invention, is smaller than the height ho of the towers set
vertically. The gradient is chosen so that the direction of tower 12,
14 is appreciably perpendicular to cable 16 at the latter's support
point 46, which corresponds to a minimum tower height.
Each tower 12, 14 has two inverted V-shaped legs 54, 56 which join at
15 the top 38, as shown in figure 3, each leg being elongated diamond-
shaped to ensure the best possible resistance to buckling stresses.
Any other structure can of course be used.
A platform 58 is fixed to the head of tower 12, being sufficiently low
not to hinder the passage of the cars 30, this platform 58 facile-
toting sheave battery 46 maintenance and constituting a panoramic plats
form. Access to platform 58 is facilitated by an auxiliary cable-car
having a truck 60 the carriage 62 of which runs on the guying cable 48
being pulled by a hauling cable 64. An opening 66 or an orifice pro-
voided in platform 58, enables the truck 60 to pass through, the latter stopping at the level of the platform to load and unload passengers.
The system is simple and uses standard installations the constitution
and operation of which it is pointless describing in more detail.
Tower 14 can be equipped in a similar fashion with an auxiliary cable-
30 car of this kind.
The lean of towers 12, 14, according to the invention, also has the advantage of exerting on the banks a thrust towards the inside of the
land enabling anchoring points 42, 44 to be brought as close together
35 as possible without the risk of the bank collapsing and thus limiting
the span between the two towers 12, 14.
. I.. . .
